Means for packing fruit and vegetables



May 15, 1934. JQG. KUHN 9 16 MEANS FOR PACKING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES Filed May 19. 1932 P'atentecl May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR PACKING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the packing of fruit and vegetables will be facilitated so that the commodities may be placed in a container of the desired size quickly without any impairment of the quality or appearance of the commodity. Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the packer may be adjusted to the quantity of fruit or vegetables which is to be placed in a given container, and a further object of the invention is to. provide means whereby, after a container has been filled and removed, the packer or holder will be automatically returned to its initial position to receive another quantity of the commodity. The stated objects, and other objects which will appear incidentally in the course of the following description, are attained in such a mechanism as is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus embodying the invention, a basket or container being shown partly in elevation and partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail elevation showing the illustrated parts as viewed from the plane indicated by the line 33 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a detail more particularly showing the means for supporting the container and accommodating its handle,

Fig. 5 is a detail showing the means for fastening a liner.

In carrying out the present invention, there is provided a base 1 which may be of any approved form and is shown as consisting of intersecting bars or rails firmly secured together at their centers. Upon this base are erected legs 2 which may be of any approved form and are shown as consisting of metal bars or straps having their lower ends turned outwardly and firmly bolted or otherwise secured to the base. The upper ends of the legs are shown as turned inwardly to provide shoulders 3 supporting a shelf or platform 4 which is rigidly secured upon said shoulders, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This platform or shelf should be of substantial construction so as to possess the desired strength and durability and will generally be of circular outline so that it may fit within a holding cylinder 5. Secured to the underside of the shelf or platform 4, at the center of the same, is a post 6 which extends downwardly and has its lower end seated in the base 1 at the center thereof, and this post constitutes a guide for a counterbalance weight 7 which is slidably mounted thereon, as

shown. Chains or other flexible suspending devices 8 are secured to the weight 7 and extend upwardly therefrom at opposite sides of the guide post 6, their upper ends being secured to brackets 9 which are secured to the inner surface of the cylinder 5, near the lower end thereof, the inand thereby maintain the cylinder 5 in its uppermost position and if pressure be applied to the cylinder so as to lower it the cylinder will return automatically to its upper position under the influence of the weight when the pressure is relieved. To limit the .upward movement of the cylinder, stop brackets 12 are secured upon diametrically opposite legs 2 and are provided at their lower ends with laterally extending lugs or arms 13 which project into the path of the brackets 9 so that, when the cylinder moves upwardly, the brackets will be carried against the undersides of the respective lugs or arms and thereby arrest the movement of the cylinder. The stop brackets are formed with vertically extending slots 14 through which securing bolts 15 project from the respective legs, nuts 16 being mounted upon the inner ends of the bolts and turned home against the respective brackets so as to secure the brackets in a set position. It will thus be seen that by shifting the'brackets vertically the extent of upward movement of the cylinder will be varied and, consequently, the capacity of the same may be adjusted as may be desired. Upon reference to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the brackets 9 bridge the legs 2 and are secured to the cylinder at the opposite sides of the legs so that they constitute guides for the cylinder in the upward and downward movements of the latter. The chains or cables are attached to projections of the guide brackets so that they will clear the stop brackets, as will points, are secured pairs of feet or posts 18 to support an inverted basket or container 20, the handles 19 of the container passing between the members of the respective pairs of feet. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the horizontal web of the flange 1'7 is cut away or recessed between the feet 18 to accommodate the handles. As shown most clearly in Fig. 5, the upper surfaces of the feet 18 are inclined inwardly and downwardly so that when the container is placed thereon, it will automatically center itself in axial alinement with the cylinder.

At intervals between the pairs of feet 18, retainers 25 are secured upon the flange 17, said retainers having outwardly projecting spurs or teeth 26 at their upper ends to engage and hold the lower end of a liner 27 so that when the liner is employed it will be kept properly spread to permit the entrance of the fruit or vegetables into the container.

In using the device, the stop brackets 12 are adjusted so that the upper portion of the cylinder 5 will project above the shelf or platform 4 to the desired extent, the portion of the cylinder above the platform constituting a measuring chamber in which the fruit or vegetables are placed, as indicated at 21. The fruit or vegetables are placed in the upper portion of the cylinder so as to be supported by the shelf or platform 4 and a cover 22 of paper or other sheet material may be placed upon the shelf, if desired, before the fruit is placed in the cylinder. When the space in the cylinder above the shelf has been filled, the basket or container 20, which may be lined if desired, is placed in inverted position over the cylinder so that it will rest upon the feet 18, as shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. Pressure is then applied to the container and the cylinder to depress the cylinder so that the container will be brought down around the fruit or vegetables and the edge of the open end of the container will be disposed at or around the edge of the cover 22. The edge of the cover may then, if desired, be pinned or otherwise secured to the container so that if the container then be lifted from the cylinder the fruit or vegetables and the cover will be removed with the container. When the container with the fruit therein is removed from the upper end of the cylinder, the weight 7, of course, rides downwardly on the guide post 6 and the container is returned to its uppermost position ready to receive another charge of the commodity.

It will be noted, from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, that I have provided an exceedingly simple apparatus which serves as a measuring device for the commodity to be packed and will hold the measured quantity in proper position to be placed in a container as a unit without any injury to the commodity or disturbing the form of the same so that, when the container receives the commodity, a neat, attractive package will result. The apparatus may be very easily operated and by its use the packing of fruits and vegetables is greatly expedited.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a shelf, a support holding the shelf in an elevated stationary position, a cylinder fitting around the shelf and the support and slidable vertically, brackets secured to the lower portion of the cylinder below the shelf, means connected with the brackets to yieldably hold the cylinder in a raised position with its upper portion extending above the shelf whereby a commodity may be supported by the shelf within the cylinder, stop brackets secured upon the support and projecting into the paths of the brackets on the cylinder whereby to limit the upward movement of the cylinder, and means at the upper end of the cylinder to support an inverted container.

2. Apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a supporting structure, a shelf rigidly secured upon the upper end of the supporting structure, a cylinder fitting around the supporting structure and the shelf and slidable vertically, brackets secured to the lower portion of the cylinder, means connected to said brackets for yieldably holding the cylinder in raised position, vertically adjustable stop brackets secured upon the supporting structure and having lateral lugs extending into the paths of the brackets on the cylinder whereby to limit the upward movement of the cylinder, and means at the upper end of the cylinder to support an inverted container.

3. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a stationary shelf, a measuring vessel slidably fitted around the shelf and normally and yieldably supported in raised position, said vessel being movable to lowered position under the influence of pressure applied to the upper portion 110.

thereof, means for limiting the upward movement of the vessel, means at the upper end of the measuring vessel to support an inverted container whereby upon downward movement of the meas- I uring vessel a commodity resting on the shelf within the vessel will be fed into the container, guides secured to the shelf, a weight disposed beneath the shelf, and a cable operatively connected with the weight and extending over the guides and connected with the measuring vessel for automatically elevating said vessel after each lowering operation.

4. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a support, a shelf on the support, a vertically movable cylinder fitted about the shelf and the upper portion of the support and movable to lowered position under the influence of pressure applied to the top thereof, a rod depending from the shelf, a weight slidably mounted on the rod, pulleys carried by the shelf, a flexible cable connected with the lower end of the cylinder and extending over the pulleys and attached to the weight for normally holding the cylinder in raised position and serving to automatically return said vessel to raised position after each lowering operation, means for limiting the upward movement of the cylinder, a flange at the upper end of the cylinder adapted to support an inverted container, and means on the flange to engage the container and retain it in position thereon. 140

JOHN G. KUHN. [L.s.l 

